If you ask one hundred people their choice for the best book ever written, you will probably get at least fifty different answers, and probably more. If you ask them to name best-selling book of all time, some will say "The DaVinci Code" or one of the Harry Potter books, but most will correctly name the Bible as the best selling book of all time. Amazingly, it is also likely the least-read book in America today.
Don't get me wrong; most people in America own a Bible, and a large number own more than one. But to borrow the line from a less biblical question, 90% of people don't read the Bible, and the other 10% lie about it. Even many regular churchgoers in the Bible Belt only dust their copy off long enough to carry into Sunday services; they then toss it into the back seat of their SUV until the next week.
We weren't always biblically illiterate; only a generation ago most Americans were at least familiar with most of the Bible stories, if not the theology. That's not true anymore, and if you think I'm exaggerating, consider the following responses to some simple Bible knowledge questions:
In the first book of the Bible, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked, "Am I my brother's son?"
Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread made without any ingredients.
Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the Ten Commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada.
Samson slew the Philistines with the Axe of the Apostles.
Lot's wife was a pillar of salt during the day, but a ball of fire at the night.
Noah's wife was Joan of Ark.
It was a miracle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance.
Keep in mind that these responses came from children ranging from elementary to high school, most of them in a Catholic school. How much worse would the average "man on the street do," since many can't find the Pacific Ocean on a map of the U.S.? But that's another rant for another day.
I raise the issue of Biblical illiteracy because it goes hand in hand with our growing illiteracy overall. Whatever your religious affiliation, the fact is that many of our laws are based on the Bible, and much of our great art and literature was inspired by the Bible. Not knowing anything at all about the Bible is as unacceptable as knowing nothing about the Constitution, Shakespeare, or Michelangelo.
So here's my challenge to get people reading the Bible again: try it for 15 to 20 minutes a day for 30 days. Start with Luke's gospel, then read Acts. This will cover the story of Jesus and the early church, and it doesn't have long lists of names you can't pronounce. If you want to add another ten minutes a day to this read one Proverb a day. There are 31 chapters, which means you can read the one that corresponds to that date of the month. Once you've finished this, read Genesis, where you find that Moses wasn't really on his way to Canada.
One final word that will help; many people don't read the Bible because they're using their grandfather's copy of the King James Version (sometime called the Authorized Version). Many of the words used (thee, thou, bullocks, etc.) were common when this version was published in 1611, but not so much today. Try either the New International Version (NIV) or the New Living Translation (NLT), as both are extremely readable. You can read my article on the various versions of the Bible here.
If you'll simply give the Bible the same amount of time you give the morning paper or your daily workout, you'll be surprised how easy reading it can be. But be warned: once you start, it can be hard to stop. And if you're not careful, it just might change your life.
Don't get me wrong; most people in America own a Bible, and a large number own more than one. But to borrow the line from a less biblical question, 90% of people don't read the Bible, and the other 10% lie about it. Even many regular churchgoers in the Bible Belt only dust their copy off long enough to carry into Sunday services; they then toss it into the back seat of their SUV until the next week.
We weren't always biblically illiterate; only a generation ago most Americans were at least familiar with most of the Bible stories, if not the theology. That's not true anymore, and if you think I'm exaggerating, consider the following responses to some simple Bible knowledge questions:
In the first book of the Bible, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked, "Am I my brother's son?"
Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread made without any ingredients.
Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the Ten Commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada.
Samson slew the Philistines with the Axe of the Apostles.
Lot's wife was a pillar of salt during the day, but a ball of fire at the night.
Noah's wife was Joan of Ark.
It was a miracle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance.
Keep in mind that these responses came from children ranging from elementary to high school, most of them in a Catholic school. How much worse would the average "man on the street do," since many can't find the Pacific Ocean on a map of the U.S.? But that's another rant for another day.
I raise the issue of Biblical illiteracy because it goes hand in hand with our growing illiteracy overall. Whatever your religious affiliation, the fact is that many of our laws are based on the Bible, and much of our great art and literature was inspired by the Bible. Not knowing anything at all about the Bible is as unacceptable as knowing nothing about the Constitution, Shakespeare, or Michelangelo.
So here's my challenge to get people reading the Bible again: try it for 15 to 20 minutes a day for 30 days. Start with Luke's gospel, then read Acts. This will cover the story of Jesus and the early church, and it doesn't have long lists of names you can't pronounce. If you want to add another ten minutes a day to this read one Proverb a day. There are 31 chapters, which means you can read the one that corresponds to that date of the month. Once you've finished this, read Genesis, where you find that Moses wasn't really on his way to Canada.
One final word that will help; many people don't read the Bible because they're using their grandfather's copy of the King James Version (sometime called the Authorized Version). Many of the words used (thee, thou, bullocks, etc.) were common when this version was published in 1611, but not so much today. Try either the New International Version (NIV) or the New Living Translation (NLT), as both are extremely readable. You can read my article on the various versions of the Bible here.
If you'll simply give the Bible the same amount of time you give the morning paper or your daily workout, you'll be surprised how easy reading it can be. But be warned: once you start, it can be hard to stop. And if you're not careful, it just might change your life.
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